“On November 3, 2011, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals that they’re working on a possible future iPhone that will operate using a Virtual SIM Card,” Jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple.

“Apple states that it would be desirable to be able to provide improved ways in which to provide users with the ability to purchase and use wireless network services without the need of a SIM Card,” Purcher reports. “According to Apple, a secondary benefit of switching to a Virtual SIM Card is that’ll improve security while allowing Jony Ive and his team to do what they do best: Design an ever thinner, astoundingly beautiful, next generation iPhone.”

Much more in the full article, including Apple’s patent application illustrations and descriptions, here.

Thank You for supporting MacDailyNews!

10 Comments

Of course, the Telcos will cry bloody murder. I think they would want to retain control of the SIM distribution. Otherwise, they appear less and less relevant (insofar as it’s possible) to the end user. Of course, they are still important because they will always be the pipeline for the voice and data.

Once Apple eliminates the physical sim card, it should be possible to have two or more virtual sim cards in one’s iPhone … which would mean that one phone could accommodate multiple phone numbers.

That would make it easier to travel overseas with a single phone and both a USA phone number and an overseas number. Alternatively, one phone could handle both one’s home phone line as well as a business line.

If you would have read the patentlyapple report, the Euro complaint was in November 2010 and limited to the iphone. The patent points to other devices like a MacBook and other devices. Apple can implement it in other devices. That’s the point.